Violette's Lasagna (Crock Pot Lasagna)

This recipe originally appeared in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook as Violette's Lasagna, compliments of Violette Harris Denney in Carrollton, GA. Though we don't know her personally, that's still what we sometimes call it!  I have modified it slightly as indicated below.

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
28-oz. jar prepared spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu.)
1/3 C. water
4-oz. can mushrooms (I hate them so I don't use them!)
15-oz. ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese instead.)
2 C. shredded mozzarella
1 egg (opt.)
1/2 C. grated Parmesan (opt.)

I've added all kinds of "extras" to this recipe, thinking they'd be yummy, but it really is just delicious as it is.  No need to add sautéed onions or peppers or garlic or anything but what's listed to the red sauce.  I do usually add a beaten egg and grated Parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese mixture with the Italian seasoning.

1. Break noodles. Place half in bottom of greased slow cooker.

2. Brown ground beef in saucepan. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning. (Again, I add that to the cottage cheese mixture instead.)

3. Stir meat into red sauce with water.

4. Layer half of red sauce, half of cottage cheese mixture, half of cheese over noodles.  Repeat layers.

5. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  This will burn on the sides if you leave it too long--or even with this timing if you use a newer Crock Pot with the higher temperature calibration.  

Basic White Sauce (good alternative to cream soups in recipes)

Prepare as directed, according to desired thickness (thin / medium / medium-thick / thick).

Melt in heavy saucepan:
Butter (1 T. / 2 T. / 3 T. / 4 T.)

Blend in, cooking and stirring until bubbly:
Flour (1 T. / 2 T. / 3 T. / 4 T.)
Salt (1/4 tsp. for all)

Using wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in:
Milk, stock, or combination (1 C. for all)

Cook just until smooth and thickened.  Makes slightly over 1 cup.  Medium-thick compares to undiluted condensed soups and make approximately the same amount contained in one 10-oz. can.

OPTIONS
Cheese sauce: Add 1/2 C. grated nippy cheese and 1/4 tsp. dry mustard.
Tomato sauce: Use tomato juice as liquid; add dash each of garlic salt, onion salt, basil, and oregano.
Mushroom sauce: Saute 1/4 C. chopped mushrooms and 1 T. finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour.
Celery sauce: Saute 1/2 C. chopped celery and 1 T. finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour.
Chicken sauce: Use chicken broth or bouillon as half the liquid.  Add 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage and diced cooked chicken if available.

Vary flavor with the following:
curry powder
garlic, onion, or celery salt
grated nutmeg
lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce
chili powder
chopped or blended vegetables
chopped parsley
chopped chives
chopped hard-cooked eggs

Marissa's Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

4 cups veggie broth

1 can pure pumpkin

1 can back beans (drained and rinsed, opt.)

1 can sweet corn

3/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

*we add one approximately one cup cooked quinoa to make this soup more hearty and to amp up the protein. 

Sauté garlic in a bit of olive oil or water for 1 minute. Add broth and spices and let simmer. Add pumpkin and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Add cooked quinoa last. Feel free to garnish with cheese or sour cream.

Banana Bread Muffin Tops (SF, GF, Vegan)

Banana Bread Muffin Tops

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free

Ultra dense and chewy, these banana bread muffin tops make a great running-out-the-door breakfast or snack. Sweetened with banana and dates, there are no added sugars (and the chocolate chips can be easily swapped for walnuts). Try them warm served with a pat of vegan butter, nut butter, or coconut oil.

Yield
9 large cookies

Prep Time
10 Minutes

Cook time
18 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe bananas, peeled (230 grams banana without peel)
• 1/2 cup packed pitted Medjool dates (125 grams pitted dates)*
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (applesauce works fine)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
• 3-4 tablespoons non-dairy chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the peeled bananas, pitted dates, coconut oil or applesauce, and vanilla into a food processor. Process until smooth. I let it run for a minute or so.
3. Add in the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and process again until combined.
4. Add in 1.5 cups of the rolled oats and process for only 4-5 seconds, just long enough to roughly chop the oats.
5. Remove processor from the base and then remove the blade and set aside. Carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rolled oats and the chocolate chips.
6. Spoon a large portion of dough (about 3-4 tablespoons or so for each) onto the parchment. Do not press down on the dough to flatten - simply leave it in a mound on the baking sheet.
7. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
8. Immediately transfer the baking sheet onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then lift off muffins and place on the rack to cool completely.

Note: Make sure you use very soft Medjool dates. If you are using firm dates, be sure to soak them in water until softened before proceeding with recipe. (NOTE: This is probably kind to your food processor, but it works fine if you use firm dates without soaking them.)

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/17/banana-bread-muffin-tops/#ixzz2rVltt13f

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole

I haven't made this yet, but it came from Sharon Glasgow's blog and she said she keeps one in the freezer at all times for unexpected company since it can easily be cooked from frozen.  Sounds like a great idea to me!  Can't wait to try it...

1 chicken
1 onion
3 carrots
water and salt

Dumplings 
2 cups of self-rising flour (I use gluten free baking mix)
1/4 cup butter, melted (more is always better)
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 cup buttermilk ( you can substitute w/ homemade plain yogurt)
2 eggs, beaten

1. Cook chicken in water with 1 diced onion, three chopped carrots and salt to taste.  Cook for 2-6 hours depending on how tender you want or how long you have. Take chicken out of broth, take skin off and debone. Shred chicken. Save carrots.
2. Mix all ingredients for dumplings and set aside.
3. Grease 9 x 13 baking dish. Evenly distribute shredded chicken and saved carrots into dish. Pour 2 ½ cups of chicken broth on top. Add salt to taste. Pour dumpling mixture on top in mounds and  spread evenly.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 mins or until dumplings are fully baked on top.

Carrot-Pulp Muffins (or Juice-Pulp Muffins)

This recipe was devised by my daughter Olivia as a way to use all the wasted pulp from juicing carrots.  It is delicious and moist if you use shredded carrots, but it can be a little dry if you just use the carrot pulp without a little extra moisture from something like applesauce, apple juice, a little of the carrot juice (which will make very orange muffins!) or even a little water.

2 C. flour (we use freshly ground whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C. oil (we use olive oil)
3/4 C. brown sugar
3 C. grated carrot (or carrot pulp from juicing with moisture added)

Combine dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs with oil and sugar.  Add to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.  Stir in carrots (grated, or as moistened pulp).  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.


In an interesting modification, my friend Maegan prepares the following muffins out of her juicing endeavors.

Maegan's Juice-Pulp Muffins

Combine:
2 C. pulp from juicing (carrots, apple, celery, kale)
3 eggs
1.5 c flour (she used oatmeal run thru her food processor)
1/3 c oil
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp honey
1 banana
1 Tbsp cinnamon.

Bake at 350 about 15 minutes. ("You kinda have to check them," she says.)

Sweetheart Dinner Salad

This simple salad was served at a "Sweetheart Banquet" we attended years ago. Various contributors brought the different ingredients and the salads were easily assembled on site before the event.
(The original recipe was from my friend Cathy Auffarth.)

Layer ingredients in this order on a salad plate:
Romaine (or any sort of leaf lettuce, but not iceberg!)
Green onions, finely chopped (with green stems)
Celery, sliced thin on the angle
Mandarin oranges (canned, drained)
Sugared almonds (see below)

Top with sweet red wine vinegar dressing.  (See below.)

Sugared Almonds:
Combine 1 C. slivered almonds with 3-4 Tbsp. sugar over medium heat, stirring until lightly toasted and caramelized.

Sweet Red Wine Vinegar Dressing:
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2-3 drops Tabasco sauce
salt & pepper, to taste

Pumpkin Pancakes with Buttery Maple Pecan Syrup

This recipe is originally from allrecipes.com.  I doubled it and used 1 can of Trader Joe's organic pumpkin purée to feed a crowd of ten.  The doubled recipe appears below.  They're yummy, and if you have some left--not likely around here!--they're good leftover.

Pancakes (doubled recipe):
3 C. milk
2 C. pumpkin purée (I used 1 15-oz. can)
2 eggs (I used 3 small)
1/4 C. oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 C. Apple cider vinegar (yes, vinegar!)
4 C. flour (I used half freshly-ground whole wheat)
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt

Combine wet ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and add all at once to wet ingredients.  Stir just until blended.  Do not over-mix!

Cook in tad of butter over medium heat on hot griddle.  Delicious served warm with Buttery Maple Pecan Syrup and whipped cream.

Buttery Maple Pecan Syrup:
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 C.+ pure maple syrup (I used dark amber from Costco)
3/4 C. pecan pieces, toasted

Melt butter and heat over medium heat until nicely browned.  Stir in maple syrup and cook together for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from heat and let stand.  Add toasted pecans.

This original quantities (from allrecipes.com) appear here.

Uncle Steve's BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (or a 15 oz. can)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon onion salt (2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1/3 cup hot sauce (Tabasco, Frank's, etc. ...I use Frank's and then just store it in that bottle)

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drown your meat in this deliciousness, and enjoy.

50+ Real-Food Condiment Recipes

Here's a link to some homemade condiment recipes I want to be able to find again.  Fewer preservatives and artificial ingredients is good, but so is a good recipe that makes for a decent substitute!

I'll post comments below if I try any of them, and you do the same if you do!

By the way, it is hard to beat Uncle Steve's BBQ Sauce, which is already posted here on this site.